On 24 November 2007, the Australian Body Politic had a Heart/Brain transplant. So far, it seems the patient is making a good recovery, but we shall monitor progress. As of 31 December 2007, the patient has been moved out of "Intensive Care".
There was a period of uncertainty, under Kevin Rudd, and then Julia Gillard. On 14 September 2010 Julia Gillard was sworn in as Prime Minister, by the Governor General.

Monday, 30 April 2012

Gillard looks silly, today, more than last week

Bernard Keane in Crikey says:

Gillard is left looking like a politician who will do anything to
preserve her position, regardless of consistency, regardless of whatever
agreements she has made, regardless of the cost. Much of that has been
driven by the compromises and deal making necessary to minority
government, rather than reflecting on Gillard's political personality.
But when coupled with the circumstances in which she came to the prime
ministership, the way she treated Wilkie, and her inability to fulfil
her commitment to address the issue of asylum seekers, it is profoundly
political damaging for Gillard and her government.

The stench of death increasingly
pervades this government. MPs know it. Many are appalled by yesterday,
and particularly Gillard's abysmal press conference. The government may
limp all the way to August 2013 -- Thomson, after all, apparently
intends to continue supporting it in Parliament. But voters have made up
their minds, at least about the Prime Minister. And there's no evidence
whatsoever that she has the political judgment to turn that around, if
that was even possible.

And then adds

Michelle Grattan came out hard this morning, calling for Gillard to
step down. That won’t surprise too many in the government But there’s no Rudd to blame for this...
Indeed, did the party, even as it
handed Gillard a strong mandate in the February leadership spill, really
think the flaws in their leader’s judgment would vanish overnight?
So now we'll kick off the leadership
issue again, because if Labor wants to survive as a major party it can't
be led into the election by Julia Gillard.

As for Tony Abbott, he emerged yesterday to demand that the
government "disown the vote" of Thomson, a man who is yet to be charged
with anything. ,,,,
Just another example of how Abbott has long since gone beyond
the boundaries of ordinary hypocrisy and into a postmodern zone where
neither reality nor consistency matter a damn to him.
Nor does it have to. At the current rate he's on course to inflict a truly monstrous defeat of Labor.
We get the governments we deserve.

But quite what crime we communally committed to deserve two leaders like
Gillard and Abbott isn’t clear.